Historically, particularly in remote rural areas, sales persons or vendors traveled to their potential customers (whether retail, wholesale or raw materials) utilizing a covered wagon to store their wares. The customers would then examine these wares and the sale would be consummated. While some of these goods might carry a stated price therewith, the customers could be encouraged to bargain with the sales person before the sale was finalized. Likewise, buyers in need of services, for example, plumbing repair, carpentry, therapies, may seek out local vendors and often bargain over the price for the services before a sale is consummated.
The invention and utilization of motorized vehicles strikingly changed the demographics of our country, allowing suburbs to spring up in proximity to urban areas. The use of these vehicles changed the manner in which individuals would shop for goods or services. Rather than the sales person coming to the customers, individualized stores, shopping centers, and specialized service providers were established in which the customers traveled to these sales outlets. Based upon the size of the establishment as well as the personnel employed by the sellers, the stated sale price of a particular item could not be changed by the sales person and bargaining or haggling over this sales price was either discouraged or totally eliminated.
However, evolving technology has again altered the manner in which the buying public purchases various goods or services. This change in purchasing habits has also been precipitated by the change in the way of life of the purchasing public. For example, a large number of both partners in a marriage now work full time. When children are added to this couple's family, schedules can become very hectic. Therefore, many people are having a very difficult time finding sufficient time to comparatively shop or even travel to brick and mortar outlets to examine and purchase items. More and more of these brick and mortar stores are utilizing mail order catalogs to display their goods and to prompt the buyers to order these goods over the telephone.
Another change of technology which has altered the manner in which the public purchases goods or services would be the Internet. Virtually any company of even a modicum size has developed their own web pages allowing individuals to purchase goods or services on-line. These purchases would then be sent to the purchaser's residences without requiring the purchaser to travel to the brick and mortar establishment. Or, if a service, the customer would more conveniently and economically have the needed services provided to them.
The Internet also allows for the purchase of goods generated by a secondary market such as items owned by an individual and not the original vendor. Rather than leaving these unneeded but still usable items to waste or to consignment stores for sale, a number of Internet websites are dedicated to the sale of these items, including the sale of collectibles. U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,639, issued to Walker et al, describes such an operation. This patent is directed to a system and method for processing the sale of a secondary market item. An intermediary company would act as a vehicle allowing sellers to advertise various items on the Internet which can be purchased by respective buyers. The intermediary company would operate a website to illustrate the items for sale as well as include a purchase price. If a particular buyer wishes to purchase one or more of these sale items, the sale can be consummated over the Internet. Once this sale is consummated, a legally binding contract has been forged between the buyer and the seller. At this point, that item would be transported to the buyer and the seller would be properly compensated. It is noted that his patent contemplates the use of bargaining over the purchase price between a vendor and the buyer, with the intermediary working to coordinate the sale, negotiation, and consummation of each transaction.